Model Comparison
GPT-4 Turbo vs Qwen3 VL 4B ThinkingWhich is better in 2026?
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking is 46.2x cheaper per token.
Verdict: GPT-4 Turbo vs Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking — which is better?
GPT-4 Turbo (by OpenAI) and Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
GPT-4 Turbo outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMLU), while Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
On price, Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking is roughly 46.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking also accepts a larger context window (262,144 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GPT-4 Turbo if…
- you want predictable pricing at $10.00/M input and $30.00/M output
Choose Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking if…
- cost matters — it's about 46.2x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 262,144 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-4 Turbo outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMLU), while Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-4 Turbo ($10.00/1M tokens) is 100.0x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-4 Turbo ($30.00/1M tokens) is 30.0x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking ($1.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-4 Turbo is more expensive than Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to GPT-4 Turbo's 128,000 tokens. Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while GPT-4 Turbo is limited to 4,096 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking supports multimodal inputs, whereas GPT-4 Turbo does not.
Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-4 Turbo
Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-4 Turbo is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-4 Turbo was released on 2024-04-09, while Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking was released on 2025-09-22.
Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking is 18 months newer than GPT-4 Turbo.
Apr 9, 2024
2.3 years ago
Sep 22, 2025
9 months ago
1.5yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4 Turbo has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-12-31, while Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-4 Turbo's training data extends to 2023-12-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking's cutoff date.
Dec 2023
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Provider Availability
GPT-4 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI. Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking is available from DeepInfra.
GPT-4 Turbo
Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GPT-4 Turbo
View detailsOpenAI
Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-4 Turbo and Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about GPT-4 Turbo vs Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking.